Biotechnology

Seeking breakthroughs

Our goals in biotechnology are straightforward. We invest in novel science, and we seek breakthroughs – truly innovative medicines and platform technologies, and diagnostics that address critical, unmet medical needs, and that have the potential to change the practice of medicine.

We empower entrepreneurs – with capital, but also with insight based on our extensive industry experience, and with access to the executive talent and pharmaceutical companies in our professional network. Our investment team also has an extensive record of forming and growing companies. Our proprietary capabilities include in-house incubation and company creation. Our portfolio companies benefit from our venture partners – veteran entrepreneurs who work exclusively with us.

We make initial investments at levels from seed capital through early clinical development stages. And many of those investments have made a difference to patients. We have an unparalleled track record and a long history of bringing drugs from discovery, through development, and into the market. Our investment in early-stage companies has led to the identification of several new classes of drugs which have now become multibillion-dollar categories, including VGEF inhibitors (now generating over $11 billion in annual sales) and PARP inhibitors, projected to be a multibillion dollar drug category. We have supported the development of over a dozen drugs in such categories as oncology, neuroscience and infectious disease – drugs that have changed lives.

We are located where the action is. Our transatlantic biotech group is based in our offices in Boston, San Francisco and London, the top three centers of biotech innovation.

Dementia Discovery Fund

SV won the mandate to manage the Dementia Discovery Fund in August 2015 against competition from more than fifteen other specialist healthcare venture capital firms.

Adimab

Adimab, LLC has developed a fully integrated platform for antibody discovery and manufacturing which offers customers/ acquirers a very rapid, 2-3 month path from target to optimized antibody while eliminating most, if not all, third party royalties.

AvroBio, Inc

AVROBIO, Inc., a leader in lentiviral-based gene therapies, is a clinical stage company developing transformative, life-changing therapies that have the potential to transform patients’ lives in a single dose. The Company is focused on the development of its Phase 1 programs in Fabry disease and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while actively building a pipeline of therapies to treat other rare diseases, and solid and liquid cancers.

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals

Current Investments

Alba Therapeutics

Alba based in Baltimore, MD, is focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of inflammatory and immune mediated diseases. Alba's technology provides the ability to transiently open or close internal barriers such as the intestinal mucosa. Alba is applying its technology to develop treatments for celiac disease and other autoimmune conditions.

Kalvista Pharmaceuticals

Karus Therapeutics

Karus Therapeutics is an emerging pharmaceutical company whose R&D activities are focused on the design and development of innovative, molecular-targeted, small molecule drugs to treat immune/inflammatory disorders and cancer.

PanOptica

Pionyr Immunotherapeutics

Develops drugs targeting immune responses. PI’s programs are generating stand-alone therapies as well as combinatorial immunotherapeutics, that target novel arms of the immune response within the tumor microenvironment.

Ribometrix

Sitryx Therapeutics Limited

Will leverage metabolic insights into the fumarate/fumarate hydratase (F/FH) drug target/pathway to develop a pipeline of first-in-class small molecule drugs to treat a broad range of orphan and blockbuster indications, starting with cancer.

Sutro Biopharma, Inc.

Sutro Biopharma's mission is to enable the production of low-cost, high quality rapidly developed protein pharmaceuticals and innovative vaccines that cannot be manufactured by existing technologies. Previously known as Fundamental Applied Biology's (FAB).

Zarodex

Zarodex is an SV seeded company focused on a unique repositioning candidate for B cell disorders. It is leveraging proprietary insights into the drug’s effect on B Cells, including plasma cells, which are the likely driver of pathogenic auto-antibodies in a number of autoimmune diseases.

Previous Investments

Achillion Pharmaceuticals

(NASDAQ: ACHN). Achillion, based in New Haven, CT, is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative small molecule therapeutics for the treatment and/or prevention of serious infections associated with drug resistant viruses or bacteria.

Aderis Pharmaceuticals

Aderis Pharmaceuticals was a Cardiovascular, renal and neurological disease focused therapeutics company dedicated to making a significant difference to people living with cardiovascular, renal and neurological diseases.

Affibody

Affibody is a biotech company that uses unique affinity ligands to develop products for molecular imaging, targeted therapy and biotechnology applications. The lead product is a Her2 affibody for clinical imaging in breast cancer, and its pipeline includes other oncology imaging affibodies. In addition, affibodies are sold as research reagents and for use in protein separations.

Affinium Pharmaceuticals

Affinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel anti-infective medicines stemming from the bacterial fatty acid synthesis pathway.

Alantos Pharmaceuticals

Sold to Amgen in June 2007. Alantos was a chemistry-driven company seeking to discover and develop drugs targeted at osteoarthritis and inflammatory processes. The company attempts to fast follow others to reduce risk.

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals

Avant Immunotherapeutics, Inc.

Avera Pharmaceuticals

Avera focused on the development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Key programs are Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia associated cognition deficits, IBS, and OAB, and developing an ultra-short acting anaesthesia compound.

Dynogen Pharmaceuticals

Dynogen is a neuroscience-based company focused on genito-urinary (GU) and gastro-intestinal (GI) disorders. The company is using its knowledge of neurology and GU/GI disorders to build a pipeline of clinical candidates.

ESBATech

Sold to Alcan in September 2009. ESBATech is a preclinical stage drug discovery company that intends to refocus the business to build a world class Ophthalmology company on the back of an attractive, proprietary antibody fragment platform which can deliver uniquely stable, soluble and monomeric fragments and compelling data on penetration of these fragments into the eye following topical treatment.

EUSA Pharma

EUSA Pharma (EUSA) is a fast growing, transatlantic specialty pharma company developing and commercializing a range of prescription products in pain, oncology and critical care. Currently, the Company has eight products on the market.

GlycoFi

Good Start Genetics, Inc

A molecular diagnostics company focused on genetic screening of inherited disorders, by harnessing a next generation sequencing platform to provide clinicians and patients with the highest carrier detection rates possible.

Gyros AB

Gyros, located in Uppsala, Sweden, has developed a proprietary microfluidics technology for processing and analysis of proteins and blood samples. Laboratory processes are integrated into a client specific disc (CD) format. The CD is processed and its contents analysed on software controlled instrumentation.

Ikano Therapeutics

ITI is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative, nasally delivered pharmaceutical products with a particular focus on drugs treating pain and CNS-related disorders for which there is proven, unmet patient need.

Mpex Pharmaceuticals

Mpex based in San Diego, CA, is focused on the discovery and development of new-antibacterial drugs that meet the growing clinical need created by multi-drug resistant bacteria. Mpex has identified several approaches to increase the effectiveness of existing antibiotics and decrease the incidence of drug resistance to these antibiotics. Mpex's first product will be an inhaled antibiotic for serious lung infections.

NeurogesX

Neurotech

Neurotech based in Lincoln, RI, has developed an encapsulated cell therapy for the delivery of therapeutic proteins in retinal diseases. The first product is ciliary neurothrophic factor (CNTF) for retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (geographic atrophy).

Nigra plc

Oncoethix

Oncoethix SA is a private Swiss company focused on developing a portfolio of three to five promising new drugs for cancer treatment. The company intends to develop its compounds through clinical proof of concept and the identification of an expedited registration strategy, after which pharmaceutical partners will be sought to fund pivotal trials and handle commercialization.

Rempex Pharmaceuticals

RespiVert

Sold to J&J in June 2010. RespiVert is a discovery company focused on Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ('COPD') and severe asthma. The company's goal is to develop novel inhaled and intranasal drugs for respiratory disorders with high unmet medical need and high commercial potential based on novel insights on biology and chemistry.

Rinat Neuroscience

Sapphire Therapeutics

Acquired by Helsinn in February 2009. Helsinn is developing small molecule drugs based on the biology of ghrelin,a gut peptide known to stimulate appetite. The lead compound is in Ph II for cancer cachexia; a second compound has completed an initial clinical study and is moving toward Ph II for post-operative ileus. Additional indications are being explored for follow-on compounds. Formerly known as Rejuvenon.

X2-Pharma

In the UK, SV Health Investors LLP (registered in England OC 308830, VAT 227 0451 34) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority ('FCA'). It is entered into the FCA's register and with registration number 409123. The registered office is 71 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6ST.